Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Haj and Umrah, Dr Tawfiq Al Rabiah, on Thursday, declared the launching of an electronic service to apply for Umrah visas for an individual from outside Saudi Arabia.
Furthermore, he added that the visit to Umrah would be issued within a day, and all the applications related to Umrah visas could be submitted from outside Saudi Arabia, away from Umrah campaigns.
According to Al Rabiah, the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 aims to facilitate the reception of Umrah pilgrims in larger numbers.
As per the minister, it is expected that one million people will perform Hajj this year. He said the ministry and other connected agencies are working to provide the health of Haj pilgrims.
“The Hajj smart card will be executed this year,” Al Rabiah said while noting that digital technologies would help organise this year’s Hajj perfectly.
However, to perform Umrah, it is necessary to follow some health requirements.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) set out several conditions for health requirements, which the Haj pilgrims from outside the Kingdom would have to follow before coming to the country to perform the annual pilgrimage.
He issued a circular to all the private and public airlines operating in the kingdom airports, including private aviation, the GACA stated that:
- Haj passengers must be below 65
- They should be fully vaccinated against COVID-19
- Need to submit a negative PCR test within 72 hours of their flight departure
The authority highlighted that non-compliance with the circulars issued by the administration would be considered an explicit violation of government orders, and legal measures would be taken against the person who violated the rules.